(COLORADO) — The Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS) is urging the community to learn to recognize the signs of child abuse and neglect and to call the Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline if they are concerned about a child.

As summer starts and the school year ends, hotline calls drop 24% on average due to teachers and other school-based mandatory reporters no longer interacting with children every day.

During summer break, all Coloradans must support the prevention of child abuse and neglect.

“It is important to recognize the signs and call the Colorado Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline if you are concerned about a child or youth who may be experiencing abuse or neglect,” said Mollie Bradlee, Deputy Director of the Office of Children, Youth, and Families at the Colorado Department of Human Services. “As Coloradans, we can also take a proactive approach so that abuse and neglect never happen. Parents and caregivers can learn and practice the five protective factors that help strengthen families and prevent abuse and neglect. Simply lending a helping hand to families with kids can make a difference.”

There are multiple signs of abuse an individual can watch out for, including; abandonment, clothing neglect, exposure to safety hazards, isolation, and more. Suspicion of abuse is all that is necessary to report.

In 2023, the hotline system received 117,960 calls related to concerns about a child’s safety or well-being. Most situations allow for counties to successfully work with families to connect them with resources and avoid out-of-home care. According to the CDHS, in 97% of child welfare assessments of abuse and neglect, children and youth are able to remain in the home while their families receive services.

Some protective factors that may help parents are:

Parental resilience: Caregivers with resilience are better able to protect their children from stress and can help children learn critical self-regulation and problem-solving skills.

Social connection: Having supportive friends, family, and neighbors caregivers can turn to for emotional support or advice, makes it easier to take care of children and themselves.

Concrete supports: families who can meet their basic needs and essential services are better able to ensure the safety of their children.

Knowledge of parenting and child development: Caregivers who understand the usual course of child development are more likely to provide their children with developmentally appropriate limits.

Social and emotional competence of children: Caregivers who support healthy social and emotional development in children when they model how to express and communicate emotions effectively, self-regulate, and make friends.

Every parent needs support from time to time. There are many other things Coloradans can do to support protective factors for families.

To reach the Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline call 844-CO-4-KIDS or 844-264-5467.